Division of Disease Control and Health Protection

An outbreak of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor is ongoing in Haiti. As of October 29, the Pan American Health Office reported a total of 4,714 cholera cases with 330 deaths. Florida has approximately 241,000 Haitian-born residents, representing 46% of the Haitian-born population residing in the U.S. The majority reside in Miami-Dade (73,000), Broward (63,000), Palm Beach (41,000), and Orange (20,000) counties. Travel to and from Haiti has increased since the Haitian earthquake; this includes relief workers and local Haitian residents visiting family in Haiti. As a result, we can expect that some travelers returning from Haiti may become symptomatic with cholera en route to, or shortly after arrival in Florida. We may also see cholera in people who have been in close contact with ill travelers returning from Haiti.  Cholera does not spread easily in developed countries such as the U.S., but we want to be sure we do not miss any high-risk situations, like cholera in a food-handler, or clusters or outbreaks. 

Documents on this page are intended to give guidance related to clinical management, laboratory testing and case reporting.